


Savior King, Savior Knight

by BroomballKraken



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Game(s), Raphael Week (Fire Emblem)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:02:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroomballKraken/pseuds/BroomballKraken
Summary: The war ends, and Raphael is all set to become a knight. He knows exactly who he wants to protect for the rest of his life, but he isn’t so sure that he is worthy enough, as that very person is none other than Dimitri, the Savior King himself.The fact that Raphael washopelesslyin love with him only made this problem of his worse.Written for Raphael Week Day 6, Prompt: Future
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Raphael Kirsten
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	Savior King, Savior Knight

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not have teared up while writing this, and that's all I've got to say lmao Thanks for reading!

“Hmm, I think that’s all of my clothes…”

Raphael grunted as he pushed himself up from his knees, grimacing as his legs tingled because they had fallen asleep. Glancing around his room, which was mostly stripped of his belongings that were now packed into a couple of boxes on the floor. It felt a bit weird, leaving the place that he had called home during his time at the academy and for the last leg of the war. He had made many memories at Garrag Mach, but it was time for him to return to his actual home and look for work as a knight.

An uncharacteristic sigh escaped him at the thought. He really was happy to go home; he missed Maya and his grandfather a lot, and needed to make sure that they had made it through the war unscathed. It was the job hunting that had him down. Sure, he was confident in his strength and everything he learned from the Professor about being a great knight, and was sure that he could get a job as a knight for any old noble house pretty easily.

But there was only one person that he wanted to work for, and he was _the king of Fódlan._

A deep frown set upon Raphael’s lips as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Ever since he met Dimitri when they were attending the Officer’s Academy together, Raphael had always admired his strength and kindness. When Raphael had approached him for advice on how to get stronger, and then hurt himself as a result of misinterpreting that advice, Dimitri had taken him to the infirmary, stayed there until he was discharged, and then decided to train with Raphael directly to avoid any more mishaps. Raphael had been grateful, and formed a deep friendship with the Prince of Faerghus.

When they reunited five years after the start of the war, Raphael had been heartbroken to see what had become of his dear friend, and he had done his best to help Dimitri overcome the demons that plagued him. Raphael had gone through loss of his own, after all, and even though he did still have family left unlike Dimitri, he still felt like he could relate and wanted to help.

Eventually, Dimitri recovered and their friendship was renewed and seemed to be stronger than ever, as they frequently ate together and trained together. And sometimes, Raphael would hear a knock on his door late at night, only to find Dimitri standing outside of his room, asking to stay and talk to try and chase away his recurring nightmares. Raphael gladly offered his help, and most of those nights ended up with Dimitri falling asleep, with his head in Raphael’s lap as he gently combed his fingers through the tormented man’s hair and rambled on about various things.

It was after one of those nights that Raphael realized that he was hopelessly in love with Dimitri.

Raphael had always thought it was odd that his heart seemed to start racing every time he saw Dimitri, and how his eyes always seemed to wander in his direction. Raphael began to notice peculiar things about Dimitri that he hadn’t before: the way his beautiful blue eye seemed to sparkle every time they spoke, how soft his wild blond hair felt as it slipped through Raphael’s fingers, the way that his laughter had the magical ability to cause a huge, goofy smile to cross Raphael’s face every time he heard it…

After consulting with some other friends on the matter, Raphael now knew for a fact that he was in love, and that worried him. They had become really close friends, sure, but Dimitri was royalty, a king, and Raphael was just a commoner. He wasn’t super informed of the politics of the noble folks, but he knew enough to know that commoner and noble relationships were very rare.

Dimitri was a good man, Raphael knew this for a fact, but that didn’t stop a rather bothersome pit of anxiety from forming in his gut. To even think of trying to court the King of Fódlan...Raphael wasn’t even sure if he was worthy enough just to be Dimitri’s _knight_ , so how could he even entertain the idea of him actually returning the feelings of love that Raphael held so deeply for him?

A sudden, loud knock on the door pulled Raphael out of his thoughts, and he turned his head to yell, “Come in!” Raphael watched as Dimitri entered the room and walked up to him. Ah, there went Raphael’s heartbeat, off to the races again, and this time it was accompanied by butterflies taking flight in his gut. Gods, he really did have it bad for Dimitri, huh?

Dimitri took a brief glance around the room, before his gaze met Raphael’s. “Ah, good evening, Raphael. I hope I’m not intruding?”

Raphael quickly shook his head as he waved his hands in front of him. “Not at all, Dimitri! Er, I mean, Your Highness! Er, wait, Your Majesty? Uh-”

“Easy, Raphael,” Dimitri interrupted, laughing as he placed a hand on Raphael’s arm, “Just keep calling me Dimitri, please.” Raphael’s eyes flicked briefly to the warm hand on his arm, and he swallowed thickly to try and chase away the dryness in this throat.

“Ah, right…” Raphael said as he rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. Dimitri chuckled and dropped his hand, and Raphael smiled automatically. He really did have to wonder if Dimitri’s laughter actually contained some type of magical quality to make Raphael this happy whenever he heard it.

“Is your packing going alright? Are you planning on leaving tomorrow?” Dimitri asked, and Raphael nodded.

“Yep! Gotta go and see my sis and grandpa. I miss them a lot.”

“Indeed, and I’m sure that they miss you as well.” Dimitri paused for a moment to clear his throat, and an oddly serious look crossed his face. “I actually came here to ask you something.”

Raphael tilted his head curiously to one side. “Oh?” Dimitri didn’t respond right away, and Raphael waited patiently for him to do so; it must be something really important if Dimitri was seeking him out this late at night. Maybe he was having nightmares again?

“I’m not sure if you remember, but you told me, back in our Academy days, that you were becoming a knight in order to provide for your sister?” Raphael smiled. Of course he remembered that. It was one of the first times he had talked to Dimitri.

“Oh, yeah, I definitely remember that!”

“Well, do you...have any job offers yet?”

“Nope! I was gonna start looking as soon as I moved back home.” Raphael bit his tongue to keep from blurting out the fact that the person he wanted to work for was standing right in front of him. There was no way that Dimitri would-

“Ah, I see. Then, allow me to save you the trouble.”

“Huh?” Raphael blinked slowly as Dimitri took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his beautiful blue eye boring deep into his golden ones.

“Raphael, I would like to offer you a position as one of my knights. You and your family can move to Fhirdiad and I will see to it that you all live comfortably,” Dimitri said, and Raphael thought he was going to pass out from shock. He was...actually offering him a job? The thing that Raphael wanted the most (well, besides having Dimitri love him as much as Raphael loved him, but that would never happen)? It was so, so hard to believe.

“Wh-What? This is...I mean-Why me of all people?”

“Well, er…” Dimitri said, his face suddenly flushing a bright pink in color, “I must admit, part of my decision in offering this position to you is rather selfish…Ahem, and well…” Raphael had never seen Dimitri so flustered, and he watched with a dumbfounded look on his face as Dimitri reached out with a shaky hand to hold one of his.

“Uh…”

“It seems that I have come to...care for you a great deal, Raphael. I-I cannot stand the idea of not having you by my side anymore. The very thought feels like having a knife thrust through my heart. You have been a dear friend to me, and you were a light in my life when I feared that the darkness in my heart would devour me. It seems that I, ah…” Dimitri trailed off, and Raphael pushed past the lump that had formed in his throat to speak.

“W-Wait do you mean-”

“Y-Yes,” Dimitri said, swallowing thickly as he lifted his free hand to cup Raphael’s cheek, “I have fallen in love with you, Raphael.” Raphael had never been more happy to be so wrong about two things in such a small amount of time. Dimitri...really loved him? This felt like a dream, and if it was, Raphael hoped that he would never wake up from it.

“You are the most selfless and kind person that I’ve ever met,” Dimitri continued as Raphael just stared at him with his jaw hanging open, “You’ve always gone out of your way to help anyone who needed it, and I have always admired your determination and strength. It was so, so easy to fall in love with you.”

Dimitri dropped his hand from Raphael’s face as his lips formed into a bitter line. “You even stayed by my side when I was at my lowest, even after I threatened you and I just...I don’t know where I would be today, if you hadn’t been the light that dragged me out of the darkness that threatened to consume me. You were...my savior, Raphael.”

Raphael remembered those dark times well. When he had returned to Garrag Mach along with most of his other classmates, five years after the start of the war, he had been frankly horrified at the state that Dimitri was in.

While everyone else (besides the Professor) kept their distance from him, Raphael had noticed that Dimitri never went to the dining hall, and was worried that he wasn’t eating. So one night, he took a heaping plate of delicious, warm food to the cathedral, where Dimitri stood among the rubble, muttering incoherently to himself.

When Raphael had announced his presence, Dimitri had immediately threatened to kill him, but Raphael was not phased. He smiled softly and set the food down, calmly stating that he wouldn’t be leaving until Dimitri cleaned his plate. Raphael endured being called a few colorful curse words and threatened with dismemberment for a while, but he still didn’t leave, and Dimitri eventually fell quiet.

They had stood in silence for hours, before Dimitri finally sat down and grabbed the plate. He devoured the now cold - and probably disappointing - contents and threw the empty plate at Raphael, while hissing at him to go the fuck away. And Raphael did.

However, he had returned the next night, and the next, and the one after that, and he continued to return every night until Dimitri finally started returning to his old self and could go back to eating at the dining hall regularly. Raphael finally felt that he had his friend back, and the amount of happiness he had felt at that moment was overwhelming.

“...Well, I said my piece.” A bitter smile crossed Dimitri’s face, which confused Raphael. “I know that you could never love me in return, considering how I treated you. I am not…” Dimitri paused as he sucked in a sharp breath, and Raphael noticed that his eye had become quite watery.

“I-I am not worthy of being loved by someone as kind and selfless as you.” Raphael’s heart clenched almost painfully when tears started falling down Dimitri’s face and he tried to stifle a few sobs. “I just-I just couldn’t leave these feelings unspoken. They were...tearing me up inside-” Raphael had certainly heard enough of this, and he quickly closed the distance between them by wrapping his arms around Dimitri and pulling him to a tight hug. He felt Dimitri stiffen, and heard him sniff loudly, before he started sobbing uncontrollably into Raphael’s chest.

Raphael held Dimitri silently as he cried, gently rubbing his large hands over his back to try and calm him down. Raphael hated to hear the man that he loved say such awful things about himself, especially when his assumptions about Raphael’s feelings for him were entirely wrong.

Raphael didn’t know how long they stood there, but eventually Dimitri’s sobs slowed and then stopped completely. He took in a deep breath and let it out, swallowing thickly before he tilted his head up to look at Raphael.

“Raphael I-”

“Hey, wait,” Raphael interrupted, a small smile crossing his face, “I think it’s my turn to talk, okay?”

“...Okay.”

“Dimitri.” Raphael released his hold on Dimitri so that he could reach up and gently wipe away the tears that still clung to his cheeks. “First things first, I accept your job offer. Nothing would make me happier than to work for you.”

“You-”

“Well,” Raphael continued, raising an eyebrow as Dimitri’s mouth snapped shut again, “I actually can think of something that would make me happier. And you already confirmed it for me.”

“...I...don’t understand…”

“Secondly, I also accept...your feelings for me.” Raphael watched as Dimitri’s eye widened, and fresh tears pooled in the corner. “I love you too!”

“You...You love me?”

“Of course I do!” Raphael beamed at Dimitri, who had started crying again, and he let out a rumbling chuckle as he gently pressed their foreheads together. “So you really gotta stop being so hard on yourself.” Dimitri sniffed as Raphael continued to wipe away his tears as they fell.

“Even after how horribly I treated you...well, _everyone_ , you would still have me?” Dimitri asked, hesitating a bit as he looked down at his feet.

Raphael nodded as he gently slipped a finger under Dimitri’s chin and lifted his head so that he was looking back at him. “Yep, just as you are! You’ve changed for the better, Dimitri, and I know you’ll keep improving. I know I will!”

“If you are truly sure...Then allow me to ask you formally.” Dimitri smiled as he took Raphael’s hand from his cheek and moved it to his mouth so that he could place a tender kiss on his knuckles. Raphael’s face flushed at the feeling of Dimitri’s soft lips against his skin, and a shiver ran down his spine.

“Raphael, I love you with all of my heart. Will you not only become my knight, but also my partner in all the things that this life has to offer?” Dimitri asked, and the smile that crossed Raphael’s face was so large that it almost hurt his face. Raphael wrapped his arms around him again and hoisted him into the air with ease, laughing as he spun the shocked Dimitri around in circles.

“Yes! I will, Dimitri! I’ll stay by your side forever, and ever!” Raphael practically yelled the words as his excitement boiled over, and Dimitri’s beautiful laughter filled the room as Raphael stopped spinning so that he could let Dimitri down, and their foreheads met again.

“I am...so happy. Happy that I can now finally call you my beloved, Raphael.” Dimitri’s voice dropped to a whisper as he stared deeply into Raphael’s eyes, and like it was the most natural thing in the world, their lips finally met in a tender kiss.

Raphael felt like he was weightless, floating on a cloud of happiness as he finally kissed the man that he loved more than anyone else in the world. Dimitri’s arms wrapped around his neck, one hand coming to rest at the back of his neck. Raphael smiled against his lips as his arms dropped to Dimitri’s waist and the small of his back, and Dimitri immediately pressed himself closer. Gods, Raphael was just so... _unbelievably happy._

Eventually they had to part to catch their breaths, and Raphael immediately peppered kisses all over Dimitri’s face and neck.

“R-Raphael! That tickles, ha!” Dimitri laughed as Raphael smiled against his neck, and he lifted his head to gaze into that beautiful blue eye once more.

“Sorry! I just really like kissing you!” Dimitri’s face flushed a deep shade of red, and Raphael chuckled as he stole another kiss from his lips. Dimitri sighed into the kiss, and this time when they pulled away, they both had to stifle yawns.

“Whoops! It’s getting kinda late, huh?” Raphael mused, his eyes wandering to the window, where he could see the dark sky shimmering brightly with a multitude of stars. Dimitri nodded, and he reached out, hesitating for a moment before he gently held Raphael’s hands in his.

“Raphael, my dear,” Dimitri said, and Raphael’s heart soared at the term of endearment, “Would it be okay if I...stayed here with you tonight? I, ah, would like to hold you, like you’ve done for me on those nights when I came to you?” Raphael’s eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously, causing Dimitri to laugh as they both prepared to retire for the night.

When Raphael had cleaned the bags of his belongings off of his bed and they both had stripped down to their underclothes, they lay down and Dimitri immediately pulled Raphael into his arms. Sighing contently, Raphael reached up to brush his fingers over Dimitri’s eye patch.

“Can I take this off?” Raphael asked. Dimitri had never done so before when he stayed the night in his room, but Raphael wanted him to be as comfortable as possible.

Dimitri averted his gaze for a moment before nodding slightly. “Yes, but it is...not a pretty sight.” Raphael laughed and shook his head.

“I don’t believe that! Everything about you is beautiful, Dimitri!” Raphael said, and Dimitri smiled as his cheeks turned pink.

“Alright, I warned you.” Dimitri said, and he lay still as Raphael gently removed the black fabric and placed it on the nightstand. He turned to gaze at Dimitri’s bare face, and a tender smile crossed his face.

“Wow...you really _are_ beautiful.” Raphael gently brushed the hair from Dimitri’s eyes, and he leaned over to place a chaste kiss over the scarring where his right eye used to be. “I feel like I fall more in love with you every second.” Tears welled up in Dimitri’s eye yet again, and Raphael kissed away the stray tears that escaped and fell down his face.

“Raphael...thank you, for loving me, despite everything. I love you, so much more than words can say.” Dimitri whispered, as he rolled over to curl up against Raphael’s chest. Raphael’s arms wrapped around the man that he loved, and he pressed a kiss into the top of his head.

“I love you too, Dimitri,” Raphael whispered back, and they both eventually drifted off to sleep, content and happy and filled with so, so much unconditional love for one another.


End file.
